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Sylent Mari’s Music Mix – Badass Covers Edition

It’s been three months since I last wrote a post for the site. That’s too damn long. My latest Music Mix is all about stepping away from the frustrations and worries of the world, and spending a few moments reflecting on the positives in life. What makes you happy? What drives you creatively? For me it’s entertainment in any form that allows me to step away from the outside world and my crazy life for a few minutes or hours each day. Music allows me to write, film allows me to think, novels transport me to other worlds, and TV makes me super-emotional over fictional characters (stop killing off all of my favorites!).

I’ve always been a fan of musical artists and bands that do cover versions of their favorite songs and add their own unique flavor to them. There are lots of great cover songs out there and some…eh…we’ll pretend they never exited. In the newest playlist below, I’ve got 20 of my personal favorites or covers that I enjoy. Some are familiar, some are new, but all of them are timeless in their own ways, while paying respect to the original artists.

The first Spotify playlist consists of the original artists of all of the songs listed below. Most of these artists should be familiar to you, but it’s always a good refresher to listen to each of the songs so you get that “A-ha!” moment. The second Spotify playlist is a mirage image of the first, but it features all of the cover versions that I’ve compiled for this post. Take an hour or two out of your day and listen to both playlists and allow yourself to get lost in the music and forget about everything negative in your life currently. Maybe add a few drinks if it’s been THAT kind of a week. ‘Til next time!

P.S.I apologize for my lack of creative verbage. 2016 has burned out quite a few of my brain cells, but at least I hope it’s an entertaining read nonetheless. *thumbs up*

Duran Duran, like so many artists and bands before and after them, sampled one of the most iconic drum loops for “Come Undone”: The Soul Searcher’s “Ashley’s Roachclip.” The sampled loop works perfectly in the now-classic DD track, and it’s my favorite song from the band; I’ve included that video above. I can listen to it, close my eyes, and lose myself to the music. That – or I’ve accidentally passed out listening to it (in a good way).

Carina Round’s take on the song gives off the same vibe, but it’s like a thunderstorm that crawls across the sky…then disappears just as quickly. It’s not only a great song to kick off this playlist, but it’s also a good wind-down song for the end of a long day from work/school/life.

Disturbed’s cover of the classic Simon & Garfunkel track has been featured in video game trailers, on the radio, and in lots of live performances lately – and for good reason. While this cover does have its detractors, I happen to really dig it. It’s a very different musical direction for Disturbed, who are best known for playing a somewhat-repetitive brand of radio-friendly nu-metalish hard rock. The equally-haunting music video for the song is free of any color and is just so mesmerizing to watch. Turn down the lights, burn a few candles, and play the video or the song to really get its full effect.

Moby’s take on “New Dawn Fades” was first heard in the 1995 Michael Mann written & directed crime drama Heat, starring the dynamic duo of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino (with Val Kilmer tagging along). It’s easily one of the most recognizable songs from the soundtrack, and it’s recently found new life again thanks in Person of Interest’s 100th episode: “The Day the World Went Away.” Though the scene is very bittersweet for many fans and comes in the middle of a very mixed, emotional and somewhat-controversial episode, this song is featured in one of my favorite action scenes from the entire series. I’m not sharing the scene here because of spoilers and it needs to be watched to be appreciated, but I’ll leave you with this: Root and Shaw (aka Shoot) having a relationship talk in the middle of a shoot-out. Turn up this song loud as your cruising down the street late at night.

A dreamy and sweet cover of one of my favorite songs from Keane. Lily Allen absolutely nails it in her version and I love her vocals on it and the music too. It’s like listening to a lullaby and drifting off to sleep with a smile upon your face. The music video will also brighten up your day as well, as evidenced above. Now leave me with my happy, shiny, positive thoughts…

Dallas Green (formerly of Alexisonfire; currently of City and Colour) and Alecia Moore (better known as P!nk) formed the indie folk pop duo You+Me in 2014, bringing together two incredibly gifted singers a surprising musical experiment. I’d say it was a success: their debut release, rose ave., is one of my favorite albums of the past five years and combines both singer’s vocal talents with very well-written songs that allow them to really belt it out. The lyrics are equally as thought-provoking as the singers themselves. In the live performance above of the Sade classic “No Ordinary Love” (Deftones also do a brilliant cover of it), watch Green and P!nk create instant musical magic as they own the stage in this haunting cover.

How many of you remember the original music video for Chris Isaak’s biggest hit? Hot supermodel, sepia tones, a beach… I think I just dated myself (I miss the old MTV).

Though this song has been covered to death by so many artists and bands, I’ve fallen for Mimi Page’s cover after discovering it as a Spotify recommendation. Thanks Spotify! It keeps the essence of the original and adds her own flavor to it, creating a pleasant aural experience.

Alanis’ version of Seal’s first radio hit (before “Kiss From A Rose” dominated the airwaves a few years later) isn’t exactly groundbreaking. It’s a straightforward & enjoyable cover that was played heavily in gay clubs around the world when it first came out in 2005. It was an instant favorite for a good reason: the accompanying music video has a queer vibe to it. Whenever LOGO (a U.S. cable channel) played it on what felt like repeat every hour for several weeks during Summer 2005, I usually had a few friends & neighbors coming over to my place to watch it, excited to see this new side to Alanis. When you watch the video, you’ll see why. Well, unless you’re a fan like me and know that she’s played queer-friendly roles on Nip/Tuck, Sex and the City, and a few other projects.

For many people my age (30-something) and of all ages who relate to it, the film The Crow and Brandon Lee’s iconic performance as Eric Draven is a reminder of a time when it was OK to be into dark imagery, to be influenced by the Industrial and Goth scenes of the time, and to be inspired to take risks in our own creative processes. The film and the graphic novel/comic series, created by J. O’Barr, also allowed us to not be afraid to create whatever the hell we wanted to artistically, as well as not fearing the darkness that lingers in all of us, and being free to let our emotions out in any artistic medium that spoke to us. The song, the film, and the graphic novel/comic series are such freeing works of art for the loners, the freaks, the independent thinkers in all of us. The fan-edited video that I’ve included melds all three elements together perfectly.

“Enjoy the Silence” is one of the most covered songs of all time, or that’s what it feels like. For people who have derided electronic-based music as being soulless for years, Depeche Mode was one of the many synth-heavy acts that proved that was a bunch of crap. Creating some of the most emotionally-driven music over the past three decades, “Enjoy the Silence” is one of the most critically regarded and universally-loved tracks from DM’s massive discography. The song is timeless and never grows old; it feels fresh even listening to it in this ultra-digital age that we live in, where new music is readily available on various electronic devices. City of Fire, a band formerly led by Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory, does an impressive cover of the song by mixing their heavy rock sound with Burton’s powerful vocal work. A great song to rock out to.

Depeche Mode has influenced so many musical acts since their formation in the late-1970’s, gaining popularity, critical acclaim, and respect & love from fans all over the world. I use their music as inspiration for any creative projects that I’ve worked on in the past, the present, and future ones (I’m sure). It’s rare to find anyone who’s not a fan of their music – whether they’re a huge fan like me or a casual listener.

“Stripped” is one of my favorite songs of theirs and a few bands have covered the song. Rammstein has a really cool cover of it that is a perfect marriage between their music and DM’s. Shiny Toy Guns has also made their own version that I love quite a bit. It sounds very different from the original, but retains the heart & soul of the song. Take a few minutes to throw it on and let the music invade your ears.

Another indie-friendly track that follows the “slow down the original and make it sound super-depressing” template that many new covers are following. This isn’t a dig at Lorde, though: I like her cover version of this Tears for Fears track (a song I listened to a lot growing up). It’s also a perfect track for The Hunger Games franchise, which this song appears in – on the soundtrack to the second film, Catching Fire. If you’re a Lorde fan, you’ll love this. If not, you might find yourself gritting your teeth while listening to it. It’s all a matter of personal taste, but ’cause I like it I threw it into my playist.

If this singer’s name sounds familiar – you might be an Orphan Black fan. Better known as “Siobhan Sadler” (aka “Mrs. S”) on the BBC America series, Maria Doyle Kennedy is also an accomplished musician/singer who has released many records throughout her career. She’s even lent her vocal talents to Orphan Black during the show’s third season, as seen below in this small clip from Entertainment Tonight (excuse the annoying intro):

In her gorgeous minimalist take on the Nickelback staple, MDK transforms the song into a melancholic ballad full of yearning and heartache. Conquering the song and making it her own, as well as one-upping the original, this is one of my favorite cover songs from any artist or band. Taking a very familiar song, deconstructing it, and turning in a simply wonderful performance? MDK nails it with her rendition.

This dreamy summertime cover of the Cure classic from 311 was one of the main songs used in the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy 50 First Dates. The film is a guilty pleasure of mine: I’m not a fan of Sandler, but I do like Barrymore a lot. If I lived close to a beach, this would be the perfect song to chill out too while hitting the waves or taking an evening stroll on the sand. Or you can lay in a hammock and drink a few cocktails while the night breeze cools you off. It’s a cool track to finish off the day with.

For a doomy/gothic metal take on the Rolling Stones classic, check out Tiamat’s slow & heavy version. Add it to your future Halloween playlist, or allow the black skies of nighttime envelop and guard you as you listen to the bewitching vocals of lead singer Johan Edlund sing you off to a nightmare. This track is a perfect example of paying homage to the original while retaining Tiamat’s artistic identity. If you’re a fan of bands like Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, or Type O Negative, Tiamat’s cover is perfect for you (the band is totally worth checking out too).

This song takes me back to high school and for good reason: I was a freshman back in ’96. I LOVE the R&B, hip-hip, and soul music that came out during that decade because the songs were different, they were fresh, and they were just a blast to listen to. Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” is one of my favorite ’90s songs ’cause it has such a cool groove to it, a hypnotic beat, and Dr. Dre lending his skills to enhance the track.

Chet Faker does an equally funky cover that will transport you back to 20 years ago (!), to the time you first heard this jam on the radio. With a folksy vibe added to it and an electronic underbeat, the cover flows so well and it makes the perfect addition to anyone’s summer playlists or for house parties. If you can survive the heat long enough to dance/chill out to it, of course (Southwest USA FTW!).

Nirvana – “The Man Who Sold the World” –MTV Unplugged In New York [1994]
– – – – – – – – – –David Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World [1970]

Back in ancient times, MTV used to dedicate a whole hour or so to an artist or band and give them an awesome platform to show off their acoustic skills to a very intimate live audience. Sometimes they released the performances on record and fans were able to get that same intimate feel at home. Alice in Chains had a memorable MTV Unplugged performance (check out “Nutshell” and “Down in a Hole” as two perfect examples), and I bought Alanis’ (it’s a great listen). Out of all of the MTV Unplugged performances that were released, Nirvana’s will forever remain to be the most iconic, with the whole band stripping down the music to its acoustic foundations, and Kurt Cobain just singing his soul out. One of the most popular songs from that acoustic session was their take on the David Bowie classic “The Man Who Sold the World,” from the album of the same name. Take a trip back in time to 1994 and watch the performance.

Confession Time: Though they are hugely important to the generations before me and my very own, I’ve never been a Nirvana fan. I do like some of their tracks, but I was more of an Alice in Chains fan during the time that Nirvana was king of the alternative genre. Now that I’m older, I’ve been learning to appreciate their music a bit more, but “Come As You Are” has always been my favorite track from them. I haven’t heard any other music from Yuna, who’s a popular Malaysian pop singer/performer, but she nails the cover in an indie-friendly performance.

Amy Lee, best known as the lead singer/co-songwriter of Evanescence, delivers a really trippy and Evanescence-esque version of the U2 classic. That’s really the only way that I can describe this cover. Some fans will love it and others will hate it, and then there are those that will be like, “Huh – that’s pretty groovy.” If you’re a fan of Lee’s vocal work, this is a perfect song to listen to late at night or during the middle of the longest rainstorm ever.

This popular Fear Factory track became known to video game fans courtesy of its inclusion on the Test Drive 6 soundtrack. The cover itself was the second song released from FF’s 1998 effort Obsolete, following lead single “Shock” (also the album’s opening track). In a throwback to the original tune, FF invited Gary Numan to contribute vocals to their cover version, which later led to his inclusion in the space-age music video they shot for the single. The video is available above for your headbanging needs. “Cars” would later become one of FF’s most recognizable tracks, and it’s a really fun cover to jam out to.

Published by Sylent Mari

I'm a 30-something computer tech/fangirl/all-around geek living deep in the American Southwest. Writing is my passion, a hobby, a full-time job, and my mistress. You can read my quirky musings on all things pop culture and fandom-related at http://geekyvoyage.com.
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